The screen size is 8' by 14' and is made with 1" square aluminum tubing that has a channel along the outside edge. (More on that in a moment.)

We buried two 4"x4" square aluminum sleeves 2 1/2' down in concrete to support the 14' 4"x4" wooden posts. The posts have galvanized "Z" brackets to hold and secure the screen. The posts are topped with solar-powered post lights. I did this partly for the look but mostly because it provides a ready excuse to the local HOA board why there are 12' posts mounted in my backyard. (We needed the lights for safety reasons, yeah.)

If you recall from a previous post I have a friend who builds billboards and awnings for a living. He arranged for an aluminum welder friend of his to cut and weld (2) 4'x14' frames and then, on a subsequent pass, to weld (2) 6' piano hinges between them, so the screen can fold out to its full height. (If we hadn't done this it would have been impossible to move, store and use it -- too big.)

Once the frame was complete, my friend used a commercial stapler and PVC zipstrip hammer to secure a "sandwich" of Dazian projection material and (also Dazian) blackout cloth to the screen. See http://www.steelstitch.com/Stapleinsystem.htm to view a diagram.

Last night we had our first event of the year. It was combined with my older son's 7th birthday, and in addition to cake and ice cream, we had hotdogs with chili, nachos and cheese sauce, chips, popcorn, candy, soda and water. The weather was clear but windy, with 10-15 mph gusts. I was really worried about that, but it turns out I shouldn't have, because we *way* overbuilt the screen. It didn't even flex in the wind. I cracked the base of the left solar light when we were putting the screen up, so I will have to re-secure it today.

We watched Warner Brothers cartoons and then "Sky High" with Kurt Russell. The movie was fun, if predictable.

Very Cool! I like how that steel stitch system works. The whole project looks very professional. You should be very proud of your accomplishment. I wish I had a dad like you when I was seven.

I would like to make a suggestion as it pertains to your Eons. Put them on stands(don't skimp on the brand here, I recommend the K&M 21300). I could get into a long explanation of sound theory, but the gist is this: sound should come from above the audience's head.

You could build two boxes that follow the contour of you landscape on the bottom and be level on the top. Be sure to allow for the footprint of the stand in determining the top surface area.

Because the Eon10G2's tend to be a little "tinny" an Eon Sub would also be the perfect compliment to your set-up.

I'm having a canvas bag stitched with a velcro closure ($275) to protect the screen and keep it clean when not in use.

Including the bag, the total cost for this project was just under $1500 -- $500 for the welder to source, make and hinge the frame, $180 for the Dazian Trapeze and blackout cloth, $80 for the two 6' hinges, $65 for the two posts and concrete mix (5 bags), some amount for the (3) square aluminum sleeves (we ended up using two instead of three), and an unknown amount that I didn't pay for lag bolts, Z brackets, staples, PVC stripping, etc. Plus (2) 1GB memory stick cards for my friend's PSP playing kids, several lunches and soda/beer, but that was just being friendly! Oh yeah, and the solar lights were $22 each at Lowe's.

If you don't have a friend to do the hard work, you'd have to add a bunch for someone to attach the screen to the frame.

The two frames are piano-hinged in the middle. The blackout cloth is stretched individually over each frame half and secured with staples. Then the Trapeze materal was stretched over both frames and secured to the outside edges. Since the frame folds in half, and I didn't want to see the hinge on the screen side when open -- I had to have the hinge on the backside, which means the Trapeze material has to stretch over the hinge when folded. I was worried that it would rip this way, but this is where the stretchiness of the fabric helped.

Maybe this should be the subject of a second post, but since hiredpower mentioned it...

I'm using a Behringer UB802 mixer to feed iPod/mic/PowerBook output to the speakers. (I use an InFocus X2 projector and a 12" PowerBook G4 for the movies). I have 25' balanced 1/4" phone cables going to the speakers (they're not long enough either) and I'm running heavy gauge 25' power extension cords to the speakers. All the power cords come back to a powerstrip near the source equipment and the powerstrip runs to wall power through a heavy gauge 50' extension cord.

There's got to be an easier way to manage all these cables. Kids are tripping over them. I was thinking of wrapping together 2 sets of 50' balanced speaker cable and power cord, so that they would unroll as one piece. Is it just a given that it takes a while to setup and takedown each night we do this?

Also, I was thinking of getting some Ultimate TS80B or TS90B stands ($80-100 each, rather than the JBL SS2BK stands which are $160 each!). Can I put speakers & stands on grass, or are the stands for hard surfaces only? I'd also like to get the subwoofer. Thanks for giving me more justification for buying it! Of course that will be two more cables to manage... 8-)

It's almost a letdown that the project is done. I know we'll enjoy it, but it was fun to plan and build it too. -Gary

Maybe this should be the subject of a second post, but since hiredpower mentioned it...

I have 25' balanced 1/4" phone cables going to the speakers (they're not long enough either) and I'm running heavy gauge 25' power extension cords to the speakers. All the power cords come back to a powerstrip near the source equipment and the powerstrip runs to wall power through a heavy gauge 50' extension cord.

There's got to be an easier way to manage all these cables. Kids are tripping over them. I was thinking of wrapping together 2 sets of 50' balanced speaker cable and power cord, so that they would unroll as one piece. Is it just a given that it takes a while to setup and takedown each night we do this?

Scroll down on the left in blue to new products and click. Scroll down a ways...it's called the CSL XLR Cable System You need the 50' cables and there $129 each. Then just get some yellow plastic tent stakes and no more tripping hazard.

Also, I was thinking of getting some Ultimate TS80B or TS90B stands ($80-100 each, rather than the JBL SS2BK stands which are $160 each!). Can I put speakers & stands on grass, or are the stands for hard surfaces only? I'd also like to get the subwoofer. Thanks for giving me more justification for buying it! Of course that will be two more cables to manage... 8-)

I have been in the DJ business for 9 years and have purchased stands by several manufacturers. After having to buy new ones every couple of years, I found the "ultimate" stand. These are steel, not aluminum and will last you a lifetime. This is precision German engineering at it's finest.

Regarding the sound cables, I would suggest just running one wire from your Powerbook to the amp situated under the screen. Then, you just have a couple of 8-foot lengths of zip cord to the speakers. I do this with a 20-foot shielded cable with 1/8" plugs and an 1/8"-to-twin-RCA splitter on the amp end. A cart, storage box or black drape will make the amp disappear, once you've done the sound check and don't need to see the lights on it.

I used to have the same problem. All of my audio cables run through a system of 1/2" plastic conduit that I fold up. The whole system covers a 60' x 50' area and has connections for 18 surround sound speakers.

When I run my cables if they are on a floor, sidewalk or driveway, I use duct tape and tape then down really good, if I am on grass, I run them straight to the sub and if it ends up being a high traffic area, I have some cable staples that I found that are a cross between a tent peg and a u-bolt. this keeps the wires from getting pulled up into a trip hazard.

The phone company came and re-ran the line into my house a couple of years ago and the technicians don't bury the wire, that is someone elses job, so they stapled them down, when the guy came to bury it I asked him for them and he gave them to me.